Signaling device.



G. L. BARRETT. SIGNALING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED saw. s, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Fig.1. I

l vblmeooeo GEORGE L. BARRETT, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed September 8,1913. Serial No. 788,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gronon L. BARRETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in Signaling Devices, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to signaling devices and more particularly tosignaling devices actuated by some part of acar to announce its approachat a remote point. In devices of this kind the signaling devices areplaced at convenient points, as in residences more or less remote fromthe street railway or other track, and devices are placed along thetrack at a distance more or less remote from the station or crossing,which devices will be actuated by the car to operate the signals andthus announce the approach of the car.

The object of the present invention is to provide a very simple deviceof this kind which will be actuated by the trolley wheel to positivelyclose a signal circuit: which will lock the circuit breaker and closerin its closed position; and which will be actuated by the trolley wheelto unlock the circuit breaker and closer and permit the same to open.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this kindwhich will be very simple in its construction, very strong and durableand very positive in its opera tion.

In the'accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation showing myinvention applied toa trolley wire; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thecircuit breaker and closer and the connections between the same and theactuating member; Fig. is a detail View of the actuating member and theloci ing device therefor; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the trip devicesfor the actuating member; Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the bracketsand the connection between the 'ported'fro in 'th etr'olley' oses in ano -d'inary mannerl lf have not illustrated thecar but have"shown'at atrolleywheel, suclias 11s emissar carried electr1'c' cars. I "have I forclosing the circuit to actuate the signalv and announce the approach ofthe car. This circuit breaker and closer, or switch, may be mounted atany convenient point but I prefer to mount the same uponxone of thetrolley poles 2 and to that end I have shown the same as carried by abracket 7 which, in the present instance, is in the form of a rightangle adapted to have the two arms thereof placed on'diii'erent sides ofthe trolley pole.

By making the bracket in this form and providing each arm thereof with aplurality of bolt holes it is possible to apply the bracket to posts ofdifferent shapes and different kinds, it being apparent that while thebracket will fit snugly about a post that. I

is square or rectangular in cross section, it can also be connected to around post and that the plurality of bolt holes spaced along the armswill enable it to be connected with round posts of different diametersand toe.

have the bolt or other connecting device an ranged centrally of thepost.

Mounted on the bracket 7 are contact members 8 and 9 which are connectedto the bracket, preferably through the medium of;

insulating material 10, and which are connected wlth the respectivesides of the signal circuit 5' by means of the usualbinding posts. Thecontact member 9 is movable and is preferably in the form of a lever or"arm pivotally mounted at one end and spring actuated to hold the samenormally out of engagement with the contact member 8. As here shown acoiled spring 11 is conhere is also connectarwithactuatingi'iiember"towhich movement is imparted "the""trolley wheel" of'thecareAs*he1:e"-;sliown *the" "actuating" member :comprises a =rod* 1%supported aboye eXtendin substantially a-rallelqwith the trolley" Wire11' havin *one endsupportedbylinksf13 from a mackerel,

yaeuaa'a on" mud.

nected with the lever 9 and with a part ofi? the bracket T; This movable"contact memlard/IN trolley wire. The opposite end of the actuatingmember 12 is supported on another bracket, 15, also mounted on thetrolley wire, I

by means of links 16 which extend downward beyond thebracket 15, asshown at 17, into the path of the trolley wheel and constitute trip armsby means of which longi- 1 tudinal movement may be imparted to theactuating member. These trip arms preferably havetheir lower endsgrooved, as shown at;1-8,-to receive the edges of the trolley wheel andprevent the same slipping elf the edge of the'trip arms without actuating the same. With the trip arms conrockthe same about either pivotalsupport on the bracket .15 andthus' impartlongitudinalmovement to theactuating shaft12.

20 The actuating. member may be connected with themovable member of thecircuit breaker and closer in any suitable manner structed as shown thetrolley wheel must pass beneath the arms and in doing so will but in thearrangement here shown the cir- 1 cuit breaker and closer is arranged atone side of the trolley wire and the connection -i s -a flexible onewhich extends about an axis .1 arranged .beyond the end of theacturating member and here shown. as a stud. 19. 1

:Whileany suitable fiexibleconnection may 80 be passed about this axisin any desired man- .ner, thatchosen for the purposeofillustrat-ionjconsists oftwo flexible members 20 and 21, theformerconnected with and insulated from the movable contact arm. 9 and the 95other, 21, connected :with the'adjacent end ofthe actuating member 12.The two flexible. members are connected one to the other by atsuitableidevice mounted on the stud 19-. zzIn the present instance this.devioeis. a disk 22:having.ears to which the respective flexible membersare connected. It will be apparent that a pullupon the actuating,member. 12 willrock the disk 22v and thus .fdraw -the contact member 9towardits cooperating contact member Stand close the circuit 5 throughthe. signaling device, this ion" opposite .sides or. the actuatingmember and ,also providingashoulderadapted to gengage avlug-251-onftheupper edge of the ,aaectuatin'g.member-.12. .Th'e lug 25 is soar-,

ranged with relation to the latch 23 that when longitudinal movement isimparted to I the fornier'to close the circuit the latch will I drop-,in the rear of the lug 25 and thus prevent the return of the actuatingmember to its normal position. The.,arms.of the bifurcated portion "ofthe latch extend downward to points adjacent to the trolley wire wherethey will be engaged by the flanges of the trolley. wheel whenthe-latter passes these points, thereby raising the latch, releasingthe. actuating member and permitting the movable contact member .9 to bemoved into its open or normal position by -the spring 11. y a

WVhile I have shown .and described one embodiment ofrmy invention itwill be .understood that this has been chosensfoli the purpose ofillustration only and that I-do not desire to be limited to the detailsoi construction shown and described, .for obvious modifications willoccur to a person-skilled .in the art. For example, where it is.,desiredto use. the device witha source of electrical energy which is irregularI may, if Idesire, mount a storage battery 26 in a suitable location, asupon the, side of the post, and

place the circuit breaker vand closer;either upon. oradjacentto'the,storage .:battery. I

The battery will then be charged whilethe circuitis alive and willoperate the bell. when .the source. of electricalenergyhas died-outtemporarily. Otherwise, the construction and operation will besubstantially that above shown and described. .Also. it ;may, undercertain. circumstances,be desirable to, provide a stop 27 on one of,thebrackets to limit the movement of the actuating member and thusprevent the trip armsbeing ,carried'i'nto aposition where they willeither be-improperly acted upon by the] trolley wheel or will not beengaged by ,thetrolley wheel: at all. As here shown the stop is formedintegral with the bracket 14: but it will be obvious .thatqthe bracketmay be mounted in any suitable manner and at any v suitable :point. ,blemembers 20 and 21 may be adjustably connected with their respectiveparts and, in. the present instance, I have shown, the member 20 asprovided witha turnbuckle device having a hook at one end, as; shown at28,by means of which it maybe connected with the contact lever 9. andits length adjusted after the connectionis made.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is v a I I.

.1.- The combination, with a trolley wire, a signal circuit, a circuitbreaker and closer supportedindependentlynof and at a point remote fromsaid trolley .wire,.an actuating member supportedzadjacent to saidtrolley wireand operatively connected withgsaid c ircuit breaker andcloser, .anddeviceswarranged to be successively engaged and actuated bya trolley wheel to positively control the movements of said actuatingmember, which movements control theopening and closing of the circuitbreaker and closer.

2. The combination, with a trolley wire, a signal circuit, and a circuitbreaker and closer supported independently of and at a point remote fromsaid trolley wire, of brackets mounted on said trolley wire and spacedapart, an actuating member carried by said brackets and capable oflongitudinal movement relative to said trolley wire, an operativeconnection between said actuating member and said circuit breaker andcloser, a device connected with said actuating member and arranged to beengaged by a trolley wheel to impart movement to said actuating memberand close said circuit, a detent to hold said actuating member in aposition to retain said circuit closed, and means actuated by thefurther movement of said trolley wheel to release said actuating memberfrom said detent.

3. The combination, with a signal circuit comprising a signal and acircuit breaker and closer, of a trolley wire, brackets carried by saidtrolley wire and spaced apart, a rod mounted on said brackets forlongitudinal movement, an operative connection between said rod and saidcircuit breaker and closer, trip arms connected with said rod andarranged to be actuated by a trolley wheel moving along said trolleywire, a latch carried by one of said brackets and adapted to engage apart carried by said rod, said latch being arranged to be engaged by thetrolley wheel to move the same out of engagement with said part of saidrod.

4. The combination, with a signal circuit comprising a signal and acircuit breaker and closer, of a trolley wire, brackets mounted thereonand spaced apart, a rod, a link connecting one end of said rod to one ofsaid brackets, another link connecting the other end of said rod to theother of said brackets and extending beyond said bracket to form a triparm, and means controlled by a trolley wheel for retaining said rod in aposition to retain said circuit breaker and closer in a closed position.

In a device of the character described, the combination, with a trolleywire, a signal ircuit, and a circuit breaker and closer for the signalcircuit comprising a movable member to open and close said circuit, ofan actuating rod mounted adjacent to said trolley wire, operativelyconnected with said movable member and capable of longitudinal movementrelatively to said wire, a trip arm connected with said actuating rodand extending into a position to be engaged by a trolley wheel movingalong said trolley wire and thereby cause said movable member to beactuated, and a latch arranged to engage said actuating rod and hold thesame 5 in a position to retain said movable member in its open positionand to be released from said rod by the further movement of said trolleywheel.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination, with a trolley post, a trolley wire supportedthereby, asignal circuit, and a circuit breaker and closer for said signal circuitmounted on said trolley post,

said circuit breaker and closer comprising an angular bracket having aplurality of holes in each arm thereof, and contact members mounted onand insulated from said bracket, of an actuating rod mounted adja centto said trolley wire, operatively con- 0 nected with said circuitbreaker and closer and capable of longitudinal movement, trip armsconnected with said actuating rod and extending into the path of atrolley wheel moving along said trolley wire, a latch 5 adapted toengage said actuating rod and to be released from said rod by thefurther movement of said trolley wheel.

7. In a device of the character described,

a signal circuit, a circuit breaker and closer ley Wire, an actuatingrod supported adjacent to said trolley wire and capable of longitudinalmovement, an operative connection between said rod and the movablemember of said circuit breaker and closer, trip arms connected with saidrod and arranged to be engaged by a trolley wheel moving along saidwire, and a latch arranged to engage said rod and hold the same againstthe tension of said spring, said latch having parts adapted to beengaged by said trolley wheel to move the latch out of engagement withsaid rod.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. BARRETT.

Witnesses:

EDWARD L. REED, H. L. HAMMAKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratentl,

Washington, D. 0."

